The race was thoroughly shaken up in the Forest of Wallers, where defending champion Mathieu van der Poel suffered two punctures and lost a lot of time after a bike change. He had to give chase more than two minutes from the head of the race.
Pogacar previously had to deal with material problems at the front, but he fought back and was the only one who could follow when Van Aert accelerated in the final. The decision ultimately fell in a sprint à deux, in which Van Aert turned out to be the fastest.
For Van Aert it is his first victory in Roubaix, after previous podium finishes and his second Monument victory in total. He already won Milan-San Remo in 2020.